


hold me in your arms

by OmgPandi



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: (I FEEL TERRIBLE), (for one chapter), (for some of these), (idk how to tag chapter 6), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arguing, Ballroom Dancing, Being Lost, Blind!Takumi, Character Death, Dancing, Escaping from Stuffy Nobles, Fluff, Game Spoilers, Gen, M/M, Piano, Post-Revelation, Pre-Slash, Secret Getaways, especially Elise, everyone is so done, leokumi week 2k16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-07 02:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6781069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmgPandi/pseuds/OmgPandi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of fics about Leo and Takumi, and the different moments in their relationship, for leokumi week on tumblr.<br/>(Tags go in order of chapter!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. it’s like a lightning strike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the fic overall comes from "Skulls" by Bastille, and the title of the chapter comes from "Electric" by Manic Drive.
> 
> Day 1 Prompt - Free

Since the end of the war, Leo hardly had any time to enjoy himself. Trying to undo the years of abuse that the Nohrian people suffered under the hands of Father was harder than Leo anticipated, especially with the nobles and their issues over Xander’s “radical policies.” He felt like he ended the everyday with a headache, and the amount of stress and little sleep he received made him easily agitated. He had already snapped at Niles more than once, and he was thankful that it didn’t seem to faze the former outlaw. Camilla had been trying to get him to relax for days now, but every attempt usually ended with him sitting at his desk and reading through the new stacks of paperwork found there.

It took nearly a month after the war ended for Camilla to talk to Xander about his recent behavior, which ended in a long talk about the benefits of a good night’s sleep and how important it is to eat three meals a day from his older siblings. (Who he kind of regards as quasi-parents, not that he’ll ever tell them that, there was no reason to encourage some of Camilla’s more motherly traits). He promised to look out for himself better, but promptly failed at any attempts a week later when the nobles had, once again, promised not to back-up Xander’s newest policy about bringing food from the capital to the villages in less fertile parts of Nohr. Apparently, Camilla and Niles (the traitor) banded together and locked him out of his office, as well as, according to Niles, bring a much needed and silver-haired distraction to Castle Krakenburg.

“You didn’t have to come, you know.” Leo said, mindlessly walking through the castle walls with the younger prince. “Camilla and Niles are worrying for no reason.” He wasn’t expecting Camilla and Niles to drag Takumi into this. While immensely pleased to see the Hoshidan prince, he didn’t think it was necessary to ask Takumi to come to Nohr _just_ for him, especially since he was certain that the other prince was just as busy bringing order to Hoshido as he was for Nohr.

“I don’t mind,” Takumi said, giving one of his rare smiles to the other prince. “It’s been pretty stressful lately, and Ryoma said I could use a break.”

“I understand… it’s been stressful around here as well.” Leo sighed, trying to relax his muscles. He couldn’t remember the last time he got a decent night’s sleep. He heard Takumi hum in agreement, and the two settled into a comfortable silence as they walked through the hallways of Castle Krakenburg.

“What’s through here?” Takumi asked. During Takumi’s last visit to Nohr, Leo realized that he had never brought Takumi to this part of the castle. He didn’t realize until they were near a large wooden double-door that he had been leading them towards the old piano room.

“It’s an old piano room. I used to come here once and awhile when I was younger to avoid…” _the bloodsheds_ “...the in-fighting between concubines. Xander taught me a couple of songs.” he answered, opening one of the large doors. As expected, they discovered the covered piano in the center of the room, just as it had always been.

“I didn’t know you played the piano.” Takumi said, examining the room as he followed Leo over to the piano.

“I haven’t played in years. I stopped around the time Father started expecting me to learn how to fight.” Leo answered, moving the cover away from the piano. It hadn’t changed at all over the years, much to Leo’s (surprising) relief. He figured with Elise’s violin lessons that the piano would have gained some use, but it looked like it hadn’t been used at all.

“I-If you wouldn’t mind… I wouldn’t mind hearing you play a piece…” Takumi stated, “Unless you don’t want to, of course! I-It has been quite some time since you’ve played…” Leo found it kind of amusing that Takumi looked slightly bashful about the request.

“It has been a couple of years, but I’m sure I can think of something to play.” he smirked, and removed the cover from the piano completely. He began checking to see if the piano was correctly tuned, and was pleased to find out that it was despite the years of neglect it received. He gestured for Takumi to sit in one of the seats nearby, and began playing one of the few songs he remembered.

He wasn’t aware of how much time had passed since he began playing, getting too lost in the memories, he had of this room. He remembered listening to Xander play the piano for him, with Camilla sitting nearby and stroking a hand through his hair. He’d make sure to bring Elise here someday and let her hear him play as well, or convince Xander to play a piece for them again when they weren’t too busy.

By the time he finished playing, he realized that he and Takumi had been sitting there for nearly twenty minutes. He turned to apologize to Takumi for not warning him about how long the piece would actually be, but when he did, he saw a fond look on Takumi’s face. He wasn’t sure what he did that warranted the look, but he was pretty sure it caused his heart to skip a beat for a second (especially with the way the lighting in the room really made Takumi’s silver hair glow in a way that could only be described as beautiful--). Takumi must have realized that Leo was staring because the look was quickly gone and his cheeks were graced with a light pink blush.

“T-That was amazing!” Takumi said, smiling at Leo again. “Are you sure you haven’t played in years? That was far too talented for someone out of practice.” Leo chuckled, also gaining a slight blush on his face. Was it because of the praise? Leo wasn’t quite sure, but hearing praise from Takumi was rare from what he saw during the war, so he took it as genuine.

“If you’d like, we can visit the library tomorrow and find music sheets? I wouldn’t mind putting on a miniature concert for you.” Leo suggested. He wasn’t sure how long Takumi would be staying, but he was going to make the most of the trip while he could.

“I’d like that a lot.”

“Then I guess it’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //headcanons that Leo knows how to play the piano and learned from Xander
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm also over at tumblr too if you want to read anything I have over there, or just send in an ask about leokumi or FE!  
> http://pandaswriting.tumblr.com/


	2. "exploring," not "lost"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi was horribly lost, not that he would admit it to anyone, even if the maids gave him odd looks as he aimlessly walked through the halls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 Prompt - Foreign

Takumi was horribly lost, not that he would admit it to anyone, even if the maids gave him odd looks as he aimlessly walked through the halls. He and his siblings were visiting Nohr for Prince Xander’s coronation, and the Nohrian royal family greeted them upon arrival. He exchanged pleasantries with Princess Elise and Princess Camilla, and immediately went over to greet Leo. The Nohrian prince invited him to visit Castle Krakenburg’s library after Takumi settled himself in, which he boasted had more extensive information than the one found in Castle Shirasagi. Takumi scoffed at that, and accepted Leo’s invitation to see for himself (and prove Leo wrong).

Now that he finished, he regretted the decision to find the library by himself. He would have preferred to be lost with someone else, maybe Hinata, that way he could place the blame on him. If anything, he hoped he could pass himself off as exploring the castle.

“Um… sir?” a soft voice questioned. He turned to face one of the maids, and internally winced at the sympathetic look he saw in her eyes. “You seem to be lost. Would you like me to show you to where you want to go?”

“N-No, I’m honestly fine,” Takumi answered, and the maid bowed. She tried to hide the sympathetic look in her eyes, but Takumi still saw it. He marched off, uncaring if it seemed rude or not. He didn’t need someone’s pity, and he didn’t need help finding one room in this damn castle.

He did, however, find a couple of interesting rooms during his wandering. One of them was a smaller library, but clearly not the room that Takumi was looking for.

After what felt like forever, and more aimless wandering, Takumi was thankful to run into a familiar face. While he was wary of Niles, he preferred Odin’s company over the former thief. Odin reminded him a lot of Hinata, which made him more tolerable company.

“Prince Takumi! ‘Tis a pleasure to see you!” Odin greeted. Takumi winced at how loud Odin’s voice sounded in the nearly empty hallway. He noticed another maid wince behind Odin as well, which Takumi tried not to laugh about. “Uh… is something the matter? Your aura seems different than normal, like you’re trying to overcome a great challenge.”

“Not really, unless trying to find the library is qualifies as a ‘great challenge,’” Takumi answered. He heard Odin hum in acknowledgement, and watched as the eccentric blond face brightened. He was about to open his mouth to ask what Odin seemed happy about, but was stopped by being suddenly pulled down the hallway by the mage.

“Now Lord Leo’s darkened mood makes sense!” Odin said, apparently realizing something. “Never fear, for Odin Dark will solve this dilemma!”

“What dilemma?” Takumi asked, trying to pull his wrist out of Odin’s grasp. Forget preferring Odin’s company over Niles, at least he knew the (slightly) creepy retainer wouldn’t grab him by the wrist and rush him down the hallway. He, admittedly, felt embarrassed by the passing stares he was getting from the maids. He noticed one of them giggling about something Odin said (loudly) to himself.

“Lord Leo’s mood began darkening some time ago,” Odin answered. “I thought it was because he didn’t have enough sleep again last night. He’s incredibly grouchy when that happens.”

Takumi didn’t know how to respond to that, but felt guilty nevertheless that he kept Leo waiting for so long. He remembered how excited Leo sounded during the war about showing him the library here after they talked about their favorite books. Takumi was interested in the philosophy book that Leo described, which was one of the main reasons why he was so excited (and frustrated) about finally seeing the library.

“And we have arrived!” Odin said, stopping them in front of a large pair of double doors. “Lord Leo! I found Prince Takumi! He was aimlessly wandering through the hallways!”

“I-I was not!” Takumi said. He noticed Leo get up from his spot, and saw a very amused Niles behind him. Takumi had a strong feeling that Niles was silently laughing at him. Never mind, he didn’t like either of Leo’s retainers now.

“Odin, what did I tell you about yelling in the library?” Leo signed. Niles patted his Lord on the shoulder, and went over to Takumi and Odin. The ex-thief grabbed Odin by the shoulder and dragged him away from Takumi.

“Now that your Prince Takumi is here, I believe Odin and I should take our leave,” Niles said, smirking at the two princes. Takumi watched as Niles and Odin left them, and turned to see Leo looking incredibly annoyed (and embarrassed?) about something.

“What’s wrong?” Takumi asked, stopping in front of Leo. His question was answered by a groan, which made Takumi snort. “Now that I’m here, aren’t you supposed to be showing me how ‘amazing’ this library is?”

Leo chuckled at that and started walking towards one of the bookshelves. “Ah yes, that was my plan, wasn’t it? I nearly forgot given how long it took you to get here.” Takumi glared at him, trying to stop the embarrassed flush from grazing his cheeks. Judging by the look on Leo’s face, he wasn’t doing a good job.

“Whatever, let’s get this tour started. Don’t you have a philosophy book to show me, too?”

“Perhaps another time,” Leo answered. “After all, dinner will begin soon. Maybe after dinner I can show you. I’ll be sure to accompany you though, we don’t want you aimlessly wandering through the halls again.”

“If you keep this up, the next time you get lost in Castle Shirasagi I’ll be sure to never let you forget it,” Takumi said, glaring at the other prince. He got another chuckle in response, which frustrated Takumi greatly.

“I’ll have to hold you to that then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you even write Odin?  
> Also Takumi it's okay to ask for directions, I learned that from trying to get around my school's ridiculous campus.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. you gave a kick, i have a slap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Elise was right about their brothers being oblivious to the “very obvious need to make out.” Not that she would suggest it to her brother right now, she didn’t want to embarrass him after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops this is a day late???? This one was hard to write for some reason...  
> The title of this chapter comes from "Kiss With A Fist" by Florence + The Machine.
> 
> Day 3 Prompt - Insufferable

“Can you believe him?” Takumi growled, pacing back and forth in the room. “He’s such an arrogant pri- jerk!”

Sakura hummed dutifully, not entirely sure what her older brother was complaining about. She had a strong feeling it was about Prince Leo, but that didn’t mean she knew what he did wrong _this_ time. It was the third time this week that Takumi unexpectedly came to her room and started complaining about something Prince Leo did wrong. She loved her brother greatly, but sometimes she worried about him.

“What did Prince Leo do wrong, brother?” Sakura asked. At least that made Takumi stop pacing back and forth. She noticed the frown on his face, however, when he turned to face her.

“Sakura! Weren’t you listening? I already said what that patronizing jerk did!” Takumi huffed, and returned to his ranting. Sakura sighed, fairly sure that Takumi didn’t mention what Prince Leo did, but decided not to argue with her brother on this. “I mean- just because he’s kind of attractive doesn’t give him the right to be condescending about everything! Ugh, he’s such a jerk-!”

Again, Sakura hummed dutifully at that, not entirely sure how to respond to that. She had a feeling her brother didn’t even realize what he said. Maybe Elise was right about their brothers being oblivious to the “very obvious need to make out.” Not that she would suggest it to her brother right now, she didn’t want to embarrass him after all.

* * *

“He’s such a nuisance! A whiny, little brat! Honestly, I can’t believe him sometimes- Elise, are you paying attention?” Elise looked away from the beautiful scene before her. The garden in Castle Shirasagi was so much prettier than the one back home, so her being distracted felt justified to her. Besides, Leo was just complaining about Prince Takumi again. She was glad Camilla agreed with her that her brother and the second Hoshidan prince needed to work out their obvious attraction to each other.

“I heard you, big brother! You were complaining about Prince Takumi again instead of making up with him,” Elise answered. She gave a pout to emphasis how annoyed she was with them. Honestly, how could two people be this oblivious? “Might I suggest going on a date through town to make up with him?” She giggled at the noises Leo made, and couldn’t help but notice the pink dusting her brother’s cheeks too. Maybe being blunt about it really was the way to go! Even Xander could be wrong sometimes.

“T-That would be highly inappropriate,” Leo coughed, probably trying to regain his composure. “Besides, I don’t see how that’ll get him to apologize to me. He’s the one at fault this time!”

Elise sighed as her brother began ranting again. She heard Effie sigh nearby as well, clearly tired of this as well.

“Maybe you two should make out instead? That should solve whatever problem you’re having!” Elise suggested. She heard Effie’s faint laughter nearby, surprising since her brother was making those loud noises again. He kinda sounded like he was dying or choking.

“Elise!!!”

* * *

The last thing he wanted to do was run into Prince Leo on his way to the archery range, but, unfortunately, the universe was working against him. He glared at the Nohrian prince, who glared back at him. Good, at least they were still on the same page.

“Well, if it isn’t Prince Leo,” Takumi said. “Fancy seeing you here. The library is in the other direction in case you’re lost.”

“How thoughtful of you to remind me, Prince Takumi, but I can assure you that I know the way there. I don’t get lost as easily as you,” Leo smirked at the irritated look on Takumi face.

“Let’s just cut to the chase. What do you want?” Takumi asked, crossing his arms. He couldn’t wait to get to the archery range and shoot some targets; maybe he would imagine Leo’s face on some of the bullseyes.

“I’ve come for my apology,” Leo stated, staring down at Takumi.

“What?! Why should I apologize when _you’re_ the one at fault here?!” Takumi shouted. Yes, he would definitely imagine Leo’s face on the bullseyes.

“ _My_ fault?! I hardly think so!” Leo growled. “You’re such an insufferable brat sometimes!”

“I’m glad to know that you’re aware of your biggest flaw,” Takumi gave a faint laugh at the noise Leo made. There was no way this pretentious Nohrian jerk was getting away with putting all the blame on him!

“Is that the best you can do?” Leo asked, continuing his glaring. How dare he! “I would have thought that a prince of Hoshido would be more mature about this.”

“I could say the same for you! Shouldn’t you be the mature one and apologize to me?” Takumi growled. He was getting close to punching the smug look off the other prince’s face.

“Then were at a stalemate,” Leo frowned. “Such a nuisance… we could be done with all of this if you swallowed your pride already!”

“As if! I’m not going to let you boss me around like this! Good-bye!” Takumi shouted, marching off. He didn’t care if Leo, technically, won this round of verbal sparring. It wasn’t his fault and he wasn’t going to cave-in to Leo.

“Insufferable… truly insufferable.” Leo muttered, walking away.

* * *

Sakura winced at the frustrated noise Elise made. She felt a little bad about eavesdropping on her brother and Prince Leo, but she was hoping that the two would work out their differences. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. In fact, it seemed _worse_ than before.

“Why do they have to be like that?!” Elise loudly whispered. Sakura was surprised that Leo didn’t hear them. “I knew Leo should have just made out with Prince Takumi instead!” Sakura sighed, but didn’t disagree. Maybe _that_ issue would be resolved that way.

“They’re the insufferable ones!” Elise huffed and Sakura hummed in agreement. She was glad her brother didn’t know about their eavesdropping, or else her agreeing with Elise might mortify him. Now she just had to make sure that Prince Leo didn’t see them and ask what they were doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elise and Sakura were fun to write, especially Elise. :')
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	4. it's like magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi thought that Leo made it his life’s mission to bring his sight back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried writing for the "Color" prompt, but than plot bunnies happened. Title of this chapter comes from "Magic" by Mystery Skulls.
> 
> Day 4 Prompt - Blind

Takumi was nervous. He didn’t know what he was thinking, agreeing to Leo’s plan. While he was sure he loved the other prince, he was still a bit worried. Ever since Leo found that tome, he was certain that he could bring Takumi his eyesight back. While he had temporary vision, thanks to the Fujin Yumi, he couldn’t exactly see like most people. He saw outlines of people--glowing from the strength of their will--and things, but it was frustrating. He didn’t like being treated as a helpless prince by other people, and he was thankful that his family, retainers, and friends didn’t. It took Leo awhile to understand, but eventually he stopped his coddling. Afterwards, Takumi thought that Leo made it his life’s mission to bring his sight back.

_“I think I found a way to let you see again,” Leo stated. He sounded nervous, and even without the Fujin Yumi, he could guess that Leo was fidgeting. “I found a tome in the library, and it has a spell that might help.” Takumi frowned, not entirely sure how to respond to that. Yes, he would love to be able to see, but he couldn’t help but notice how… uncertain Leo sounded._

_“Have you tested it yet?” Takumi asked. While he trusted Leo’s magical abilities (they were, after all, much better than his), he and Leo didn’t know if this spell even_ worked _._

_“N-Not yet,” Leo stated and Takumi winced at that. “I did, however, ask other mages their opinion and it sounds like most of them agree that this spell can help.”_

_“...But you haven’t tested it yet.”_

_“I know, and I know you're nervous,” Leo said, taking Takumi’s hands into his own. It comforted Takumi a little. “But trust this tome. If not, than trust_ me _. Can you do that?”_

_“...” Takumi bit his lip, still apprehensive. “C-Can I think about it?”_

_“Of course!” Leo answered, holding Takumi’s hands a little tighter. “Take as much time as you need.”_

_“Thank you, Leo…”_

He gave it a week and decided that, yes, he was going to trust Leo and his magic. If this spell didn’t work, than it wouldn’t be the end of the world. It would probably just spur Leo on even further to fulfill his mission. They agreed to meet before dinner in Leo’s guest room in hopes that, if it did work, than it would be a great surprise for Takumi’s family. That didn’t mean, however, that he wasn’t nervous. He didn’t want the spell ruining his eyesight further, if that was even possible. Could someone be a step higher than blind? Takumi didn’t really want to find out, but here he was, standing outside of Leo’s room and ready to open the door. He clutched at the Fujin Yumi and took a deep breath in to calm himself down.

Leo must have seen his outline against the screen panels because he suddenly heard the doors opening. He looked up, seeing Leo’s glowing figure in front of him, and heard the Nohrian prince sigh in relief. Takumi couldn’t blame him, he almost didn’t show up.

“I’m glad you came when you did,” Leo said, ushering Takumi into the room. Fujin Yumi helped him realize that the room was darkened, and he could see little flickers of light around the room from the candles. “I was just setting up. If you could sit right here- yes perfect, thank you.”

Takumi remained seated, fidgeting a bit in his seat. He heard Leo moving things around behind him and chuckled at the whispered curse he heard from the other prince’s mouth. Finally, he saw Leo’s bright figure standing in front of him holding a tome, most likely this mysterious tome Leo promised could bring his sight back.

“Try to stay still, I’m going to read the spell, and it requires my complete concentration and for the recipient to be still,” Leo said. Takumi nodded, sitting up straighter and willed his body not to fidget in this seat. Eventually, he heard Leo begin to chant the spell. He always found the words difficult to understand, but oddly calming and beautiful. He almost jumped out of his seat at the sudden touch of Leo’s hand covering his eyes. He felt a tingling sensation and clutched at Fujin Yumi tighter, certain that there would be indents in his palm later.

Suddenly there was a searing pain in his eyes, and he sucked in a painful gasp. He must have caught Leo’s attention, because suddenly the other prince’s words seemed to falter a little. He willed the other prince to continue despite the pain, they had, after all, come this far and might as well finish. Leo must have sensed his determination, and continued chanting the words with a bit more strength. The pain didn’t stop, but Takumi hoped that it meant that his eyes were somehow healing.

After what felt like forever, the spell began to die down, coming to a powerful end with Leo’s voice carrying through the room. The blond prince eventually moved his hand away, panting a bit. Clearly, the spell took a lot out of the other prince, which only made Takumi hope that not all his hard work went to waste. He felt apprehensive, however, to try opening his eyes. He didn’t want to open them and see Leo’s bright figure again. Leo must have sensed mood, because he suddenly felt the other boy’s hand against his cheek, causing him to flinch a bit, but he didn’t move his face away.

“Open your eyes, love,” Leo whispered, rubbing comforting circles on the hand that Leo was holding. Takumi’s breath hitched at that, and nodded. He was grateful that Leo’s hands didn’t move.

It took a while longer, but Takumi started opening his eyes slowly. He didn’t see Leo’s bright figure in front of him, which he took as a good sign. As he continued to open his eyes, he felt something contract at the sudden brightness of a candle behind Leo. When he fully opened his eyes, however, he felt stunned into silence. He saw Leo standing in front of him, in all his blond haired, beautiful glory.

He could see Leo.

He could _see_ Leo.

He didn’t even realize that he was crying until he felt Leo wipe away a tear from Takumi’s face. He could see the worried look on Leo’s face, like he failed at the spell somehow and Takumi still couldn’t see. It made him give a small laugh, which caused Leo’s face (beautiful, wonderful face) to shift to confusion. He felt Leo grip his hand tighter and Takumi gripped his hand back.

“Well… di-did it work?” Leo asked. Takumi smiled, hoping that it would calm Leo down. He leaned forward, bringing his other hand away from Fujin Yumi and up to Leo’s face. He saw the other boy’s eyes widen at the movement, but still didn’t take the hint. Therefore, Takumi decided that yes, he should do what he’s been wanting to do since he opened his eyes and kissed Leo. He put as much passion into it as he could, hoping that it would convey to the other boy that yes he could see and he was so, _so_ grateful. He felt Leo kiss back, which caused Takumi to give a low chuckle into the kiss. They pulled away after a while, and Takumi had to hold back a smirk at the stunned look on Leo’s face.

“How’s that for an answer?” Takumi asked, which seemed to snap Leo out of it. The other boy grinned at him and Takumi felt his heart skip a beat. Gods, how could he have lived without seeing Leo genuinely smile like this? Suddenly, Takumi felt himself tear up a bit again, and leaned forward to bring Leo into a tight hug. He heard the other boy squawk at that, but Takumi couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Thank you…” Takumi muttered into Leo’s shoulder. He was sure he was getting tears on Leo’s shirt, but both boys didn’t seem to care. “Thank you _so much_ , Leo.” He felt Leo hug him back, rubbing comforting circles on Takumi’s back, and he was sure the other boy was smiling again.

“You’re welcome, my love, you’re _so_ welcome.” Takumi and Leo kissed one more time, and decided to prepare themselves for dinner, and the announcement they would make.

(Later, at dinner, they told their families what Leo was able to accomplish. He heard Leo’s family congratulating him and Leo, but his attention was mainly on his family. He saw Ryoma get up from his seat, and was nearly knocked over by the (surprisingly) bone-crushing hug his Sakura gave him. He felt Corrin, Hinoka, and Ryoma join them, and he was pretty sure his siblings were crying, but that was fine with him since Takumi was sure that he was crying too. He saw Azura standing behind them with tears in her eyes and he’d make sure as soon as he got out of this hug that he’d hug her as well.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the idea of blind!Takumi, so decided to write for that instead. The other idea I had for "color" didn't really interest me after the blind!Takumi plot bunny attacked.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading! 'Til (hopefully) tomorrow!


	5. and i’ll hold in these hands all that remains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was easy to forget just how delicate the human body could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still Tuesday for me (for about another hour.....) so this isn't late. Title comes from "Skulls" by Bastille.
> 
> Day 5 Prompt - Delicate

It was easy to forget just how delicate the human body could be. Despite living in Hoshido his whole life, Takumi wasn’t a stranger to death. He had seen people lie on the ground in agony, and heard the sound people made the closer they got to death taking ahold of them. It was becoming more common lately thanks to the war, and he hoped it wasn’t affecting his younger sister. Not everybody could be saved, and he wished Sakura could be saved from knowing that. It was also thanks to the war that many of the troops spent time in the healing tents, and Takumi could count himself among those people, so he was prepared for the news of someone close to him being treated.

Or at least, he thought he was.

He wasn’t prepared for Oboro rushing into his tent to tell him that Leo was in “critical condition” (Orochi’s words, not her’s). He abandoned his comb and rushed out of the tent, uncaring that his ponytail was undone. All he cared about was _getting to Leo right away_. Needless to say, he was annoyed when Azama tried stopping him outside the tent, but relented after realizing he was making an argument he couldn’t win. That didn’t stop him, however, from waiting nearby.

It felt like hours later that he was ushered in by Sakura and Elise, both of whom had worried looks on their face, and Orochi was standing near Leo’s body. He didn’t need to be up close to see that Leo’s body was badly damaged. He could see the bandages covering Leo’s body, some of which were starting to have blood seep through them. He looked away from Leo to see that Orochi was giving him an unreadable expression, and he tried to ignore the way his heart seemed to tremble at that.

“He was badly injured by a Vallite soldier. We had to remove two arrows from him, as well as try to heal the slash across his chest…” Takumi noticed the way she bit her bottom lip, probably trying to think her next words carefully. “T-There was a lot of blood lost… and we’re not one-hundred percent positive that he’ll make it through the night,” He had a feeling that she had more to say, but more than likely waited to hear what his response would be. He was stunned into silence, however, and in the corner of his eye he could see that Sakura and Elise were just as surprised as him. Finally, she said, “I’m sorry Prince Takumi, Princess Elise… I wish there was more I could have done.”

He didn’t notice that she left, his gaze too focused on Leo’s body (soon to be corpse- _no_ ). He vaguely registered Elise’s crying and Sakura’s comforting words, but his undivided attention was on Leo, the man he thinks he loves and the only person he feels like really understands him. His feet moved towards the body on it’s own, and he reached out to take Leo’s delicate (but still so, so strong, like he’s fighting against this) hand into his own. This time, he does notice Sakura ushering Elise out of the tent, most likely to tell the others what (might) happen tonight. With the younger princesses gone, he kneeled to the ground and rested his head against Leo’s chest, taking deep breaths in to stop the tears from coming. He gripped at Leo’s hand tighter, willing him to keep breathing and _living_.

 _I will not cry. He’s going to make it through this. He_ has _to._

Hours later, Ryoma came to see him, telling him that Oboro, Hinata, and his sisters were worried about him and insisted that he at least eat something if he was going to spend the night keeping vigil over Leo. He refused, telling his brother that he didn’t want to leave Leo alone and wanted to be the first thing the other prince saw when he woke up. He had a feeling that Ryoma didn’t entirely approve, but the older prince relented, but not without telling Takumi that he would send someone to bring him food. Moments later, he heard Mozu call out to him, but he didn’t want to turn around in case Leo open his eyes again. He heard Mozu place the food on the floor somewhere, but moments later forgot that it was even there.

Come morning, he was still awake and clutching at Leo’s cold, delicate hand.

(He cried for hours after.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like a bad person.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. a place just for us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hidden training ground would be their little secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still Friday for people on the West Coast so this isn't entirely a day late.
> 
> Day 6 Prompt - Secret

It was rare that Leo was left alone during his visits to Hoshido. His siblings were busy with the Hoshidan royal family, and Takumi was strangely absent when he went to visit the Hoshidan prince’s room. He dismissed his retainers earlier this morning to let them explore the town without him, and he couldn’t help but feel mildly nervous when he saw Odin run off with Hinata somewhere “to learn the name of a truly magnificent blade.” With his unexpected free time, Leo decided to explore the grounds of Castle Shirasagi. He was surprised to find that the actual grounds of the castle were smaller than expected. He wasn’t surprised, however, to learn that the grounds were just as beautiful as expected, especially the gardens.

During his wandering, however, he found himself in an unknown area. It seemed secluded from the rest of the castle grounds thanks to the dense forest surrounding him. Despite this, it was oddly comforting and reminded him of the forest near Windmire. He decided to walk through the forest, hoping to maybe see some sort of wildlife native to Hoshido. Instead, he heard the sound of arrows hitting something. Following the noise, he slowly walked towards a clearing. He saw targets decorating the space, and noticed a lone figure standing there preparing to fire another arrow. He recognized the person as Takumi and suddenly felt curious about what the Hoshidan prince was doing out here instead of practicing in the training field; surely they had targets for the younger prince to practice on. He decided to move closer to observe the other prince better, and flinched when his foot caused a branch to break. He saw Takumi turn towards him, ready to fire an arrow at whoever was intruding in his space, and was clearly surprised to see Leo standing there instead. In all honesty, he felt a little embarrassed being caught spying on the other prince.

“What are you doing here?” Takumi asked, lowering his bow. Leo noticed that it wasn’t the Fujin Yumi, but decided not to question the other prince on where his signature weapon was. “I didn’t think anyone knew about this place.”

“In all honesty, I wasn’t aware of this place,” Leo answered, stepping into the clearing. “I was wandering the castle grounds when I discovered this area. I followed the sound of your arrows to here,” he paused, unsure of where to go from here. Clearly, Takumi didn’t want anyone to know this clearing existed, and Leo felt bad about intruding. “I can leave if you want. I didn’t mean to disturb your training.”

Takumi sighed and walked over to a barrel nearby holding his arrows. He put them away and turned to face the Nohrian prince. Leo noticed the emotions passing over Takumi’s face before settling for resignation.

“To be honest, I was expecting someone to find me out here at some point,” Takumi said. He motioned for Leo to come closer, which the Nohrian prince did. “I was expecting Ryoma, or maybe Sakura, to find me here first. I’m actually kind of glad that it was you.”

“R-Really?” He was surprised. He honestly expected Takumi to be more annoyed about the situation.

“Y-Yes. We’re a couple, after all,” Leo couldn’t help but smirk at the light blush that decorated the other prince’s cheeks. “So it makes sense that you should know where I might spend most of my free time. I’ve actually been meaning to show you this place for a while but I never found the right time…”

“You wanted to show me your secret getaway?” Leo asked. “I’m touched, Takumi, that you have this much trust in me.”

“Of course I do! Like I said, we’re a couple, and I’ve been trusting you since during the war, so why wouldn’t I trust you enough to bring you here?” More touched by Takumi’s words, Leo moved to bring Takumi into one of his rare hugs. He kissed the Hoshidan prince on the cheek as well, which caused the younger prince to give a small laugh. He smiled at that, it always warmed his heart to hear the other prince’s laugh, and moved away to face Takumi better.

“Remind me to show you my favorite little getaways the next you visit Nohr,” Leo said. The other prince chuckled and nodded his head. “You don’t have to stop practicing, by the way, just because I’m here.” He moved to rest against a nearby tree and was thankful to remember to bring a book with him before he left to wander the castle. He saw Takumi remove arrows from the targets across from his spot and stepped back into place. Leo saw Takumi’s shoulders raise up, like he was taking a deep breath, before releasing whatever tension he had. While looking down at his book, Leo couldn’t help but think that the sound of the arrows meeting their target (and the couple of times he looked up, he saw that Takumi got a bullseye every time) soothing, or maybe it was just being in the presence of the man he loved.

Noticing that it started to get dark, Leo got up from his spot to help Takumi put the arrows back in their place and began walking back towards the castle. They arrived just in time for dinner, and Leo was happy to see that Corrin and Azura were joining them for dinner tonight instead of remaining in Valla.

“Leo!” he heard Elise greet, his younger sister was waving at him, clearly requesting him to join her tonight for dinner. He turned to Takumi to see if he was fine with this, and received a nod as his answer. He walked over to sit with his younger sister and was immediately bombarded with questions about how his day was and if Leo would be joining her tomorrow in the garden again.

“By the way, _where_ have you been all day?” Elise pouted. Leo couldn’t help but chuckle, which only seemed to further his sister’s pout.

“Oh you know… around,” Leo answered. That wasn’t the answer that his sister wanted, and she continued to prod him about where exactly he was all-day. She even tried roping Xander into her efforts, only for the older prince to tell her that it was Leo’s business and wasn’t obligated to answer her. His sister pouted for a while after, but soon forgot as soon as Princess Sakura asked her if she enjoyed the koto performance earlier that day.

It’s not like Leo would have given into his sister anyway. He understood the importance of having your own space and didn’t want to ruin that for Takumi. The hidden training ground would be their little secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I should make up for yesterday's prompt with something happier. :'D
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this!


	7. take my hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi found the fresh night air more enjoyable than the stuffy atmosphere inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fill is, honestly, loosely based off of today's prompt... I've been distracted by Eurovision 2016 all day, but I managed to finish this in time!
> 
> Day 7 Prompt - Escape

“Are you enjoying yourself, Prince Takumi?” an amused voice asked.

Takumi turned to face the person addressing him, wondering who found his hiding place, and gave a sigh of relief at seeing Leo’s familiar face. After getting ditched by Sakura (who got dragged away by Princess Elise to dance with her) at this ball, he tried avoiding any Nohrian nobles, who only seemed to want to get under his skin the entire night, by sticking close to the columns that decorated Castle Krakenburg’s ballroom. It didn’t help that he felt a bit out of place in his best formal yukata. If he had known that the Nohrian royal family was hosting an event like this, he would have avoiding coming for this visit. He failed to realize, however, that Ryoma and Hinoka knew him better than he thought and decided to withhold that bit of information from him until it was too late to turn around.

Takumi crossed his arms and leaned against the column, “The ballroom looks really nice,” Takumi answered, then sighed. “But in all honesty, I wouldn’t mind leaving. I don’t really like events like this.”

He was surprised to see a look of… relief on Leo’s face. “Thank goodness, I didn’t want to stay any longer myself. All these noblemen are annoying to deal with on a regular basis, but they seem especially difficult on nights like this.” Takumi nodded. He completely understood where the Nohrian prince was coming from, and he only talked to a few noblemen tonight.

“But how are we going to escape? Surely our siblings are going to notice that we’re gone.”

“We can escape to the courtyard and go from there,” Leo answered, gesturing towards one of the entryways and outside. “Besides, they seem too busy to focus on us.” Takumi looked around the column to see if Leo was surprised and relieved to find that yes, he was. Ryoma and King Xander were too busy talking to each other, and he briefly saw his sisters dancing with Princesses Camilla and Elise.

Deciding to put his faith in Leo’s plan, Takumi nodded in agreement and started following Leo as they made their way towards their destination. He was thankful that none of the noblemen stopped to talk to them, or any of the noblewomen to ask for a dance. He briefly saw Niles in the corner of the eye and swore he saw the other man give a smirk and wink to them. He tried to get a better look, only for Niles to disappear. Thankfully, after what felt like forever, they were able to escape from the ballroom and to the courtyard. Takumi found the fresh night air more enjoyable than the stuffy atmosphere inside. He did, however, feel a bit chilly and again blamed the outfit he was wearing.

“This is a lot better,” Takumi said, moving further away from their escape point. He heard Leo follow him and the two princes decided to sit on the ledge of the fountain. “I never got the chance to see the courtyard during our last visits.”

“It’s better to see at night,” Leo stated, looking out towards garden nearby. While Takumi didn’t find it as full as the one found back home, he had to admit that the roses looked nice in the moonlight.

“Is that why you suggested we escape to the courtyard?” Takumi asked. He was amused by the bashful look on Leo’s face.

“It looks like you saw through my master plan,” Leo chuckled, moving closer to the silver haired prince and placed his hand over Takumi’s.

“You dork,” Takumi snorted, moving closer to Leo until their shoulders brushed up against each other. He heard Leo’s quiet chuckle and smiled at that. Soon, they found themselves in a comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. Takumi, especially, appreciated how close they were right now since the fountain wasn’t helping him feel any warmer.

“You know,” Leo said, breaking the silence, “While I don’t like the political aspect of these kinds of events… I wouldn’t have mind dancing with you at least once.”

Takumi wasn’t sure how to respond to that, and felt familiar heat rush to his cheeks. Part of him expected Leo to say something like that, but he was still surprised. While it was cute to see Princess Elise and his younger sister dance, and typical for Princess Camilla to invite a “cute, strong woman” to dance with her, he wasn’t sure how people would react to the two of them.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Leo clearing his throat and looked up to see the Nohrian prince standing in front of him. He was holding his hand out and the message was clear to Takumi. He fought down the blush trying to return to his cheeks as he took Leo’s hand, and the two princes moved towards the garden, their figures blocked by the fountain.

“F-Follow my lead,” Leo requested, and Takumi did. He allowed himself to be pulled along in the dance, their movements vaguely following the faint music playing inside while they found themselves in a comfortable silence again. Takumi would admit, however, that it felt a bit awkward without any real music playing for them.

“If I may be honest,” Leo started, “I wanted to escape from the party for this reason as well. I don’t want anyone giving us a hard time, especially you.”

Touched, Takumi moved his hands from their position at Leo’s shoulders down towards his chest and rested his head against Leo’s shoulder. He heard Leo’s breath hitch and he gave a small chuckle at that. He moved his head away from the other prince’s shoulder and gave a small peck to Leo’s cheek. He saw Leo’s face start heating up, and Takumi felt his own do the same.

“That has to be one of the nicest things anyone has done for me,” Takumi sincerely said, and was instantly glad he did when he saw a genuine smile grace Leo’s face. “Although, if any of those noblemen gave you a hard time, I would have done something about it for you.”

Leo gave a short laugh at that and brought Takumi closer to him. He was sure that their movements weren’t in-sync with the music anymore, but the two princes didn’t care. They were too lost in each other and their little escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leokumi week is, sadly, over, but it was fun while it lasted! Thanks so much for everyone who read this and I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did during this week!
> 
> Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed reading this!


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